Jai Uttal: Bhakti Beats

There are many stories about the meaning and origin of the Apple logo. Some say Steve Jobs was inspired by one of his favourite bands The Beatles whose record label was called Apple. Others say it came from his days as a young man working in an apple orchard. But a more persuasive story points to a Hindu holy man, Neem Karoli Baba, whose favourite fruit was the apple. Before he founded what is now the world’s largest tech company, Steve Jobs went to India desperate for darshan, to be in the presence of the legendary guru, also known as Maharaj-ji.

Kirtan musician Jai Uttal told me this fascinating story on a recent visit to Australia. And Jai should know; he was the man who influenced Steve Jobs to go to India in search of his guru.

Jai Uttal is a world music pioneer and composer of sacred music who studied with the renowned sarod player Ali Akbar Khan before travelling to India in 1971 where he lived amongst the Bauls, the wandering mystical musicians of Bengal, discovered the practice of bhakti yoga, and met his guru, the Hindu holy man, Neem Karoli Baba. Returning to the US in the late 1970s, Jai Uttal started writing and recording devotional music based around the practice of bhakti yoga, mixing Sanskrit chant and kirtan with jazz, rock, samba, ska, and reggae rhythms, a blend that continues with his latest album, Queen of Hearts.

On a recent trip to Australia, Jai spoke about his life in music and his influence on a generation of spiritual seekers that included the young Steve Jobs.

Transcript

Jai Uttal: Let me share with you a very interesting story. We don’t know the effects of ourselves and every step that we make in life. It’s very hard to know. We say hi to somebody in the street, we don’t know the ripples of all of our actions.

So my memory for my life – my memory is not that great – I went to Reed College in 1969 which is the same school that Steve Jobs went to. Now Steve was a year younger than me, so I dropped out in five months, so I didn’t stay in school. So I didn’t meet him then. I met him a little later with a friend of mine, just said hi, kinda, and then after I had dropped out of college I went up to Reed College on a small music tour with some friends and Steve and his friend came to hear our concert. After the concert we all hung out and I was just freshly back from India and I told Steve and his buddy all about Maharajji and this is what ignited the desire in him to go see him.

Now I didn’t remember any of this until a couple of months ago, right after Steve died his friend sent me an email and said hi, and so great to reconnect with you. I do not remember him but he reminded me of a couple of times that we had re-met over the years and he said, that I wanted to tell you that it was our hanging out with you that night in 1973 that stimulated us to go to India to see Maharaj-ji and sadly we didn’t meet him. And I thought, that is such an amazing story, and not because I, big me, got him to go to India. I didn’t mean that, but just how we influence each other on this journey and we never know it. I was blown out by that and I was very happy to hear it. And odd that I have no real memory of it, but there it is.

Jai Uttal: I was 19 when I went to India the first time and I had my whole agenda written out in my mind. I was going to a certain place to see a certain guru etc and as soon as I got to India every bit of planning fell through for a variety of reasons. Anyway a week later I found myself with Neem Karoli Baba who we called Maharaj-ji.

I didn’t immediately feel that he was my guru. I actually at that time in my life felt that I was done with gurus. You know, I was 19 and had seen it all (laughs). You think. The19 year old thinks that he knows everything. But I met Maharaj-ji and I couldn’t go anywhere else. Suddenly there was no place else to go and I didn’t exactly know why. So gradually over the weeks and the months and it came through dreams. A lot of the strongest feelings came when I was not exactly right sitting in front of him. The realisation very very very profoundly came that he had been and will be my protector, my saviour, my guide from lifetimes in the past to lifetimes in the future, whenever he sees fit for me to stop taking birth, if that ever happens. There was a tremendous amount of relief and an incredible outpouring of tears at that realisation that this being, that I’m in his arms.

What has he taught me? Well he continues to teach me everyday. I’m a bad student so most of the lessons have to be retaught a thousand times. I know that salvation, or you might say enlightenment or whatever words you might want to use will never come to me out of my own efforts or out of my own practices. They will only come to me out of grace, divine grace. So I try to live a kind life and depend on God for the rest of it.

I have my japa and my kirtan practices and they kind of keep me sane and they allow me to serve others, to serve my guru, and to serve in that way. But I know that grace is not a business deal. It’s not like I’ll meditate for 700 hours and then I’ll get something. In my belief that is totally wrong thinking in that it comes as a divine gift and I can only surrender as much as I can until, if when, that gift comes.

Guests

Jai Uttal

Jai Uttal is an American kirtan musician and world sacred music composer who studied with the renowned sarod player Ali Akbar Khan before travelling to India in 1971 where he met his guru, the Hindu holy man, Neem Karoli Baba. Jai speaks about his life in music, his new album Queen of Hearts, and his influence on a generation of spiritual seekers that included the young Steve Jobs.